The Legend of Korra: Balance Over All
by Jessica Cartsey
Summary: [PC - Season 3] Korra has never been more vulnerable in her life, both allies and foes will take advantage of that when the time is right. Her body and bending are weak, the trauma from her last battle still lingers within. In her need for guidance though, a living ghost will come to her aid and change her, but not for the evil or the good of others. He'll do it for herself.
1. Prologue

**_As always, I'll fix this as it goes on. But I want to leave this one thing clear: I'll try not to include stuff from the Book 4's storyline. - S_**

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><p>"In every one of your past lives, you've been vulnerable. No one's strength lasts forever, there should always be someone with enough power to overshadow your own. If such being does not exist, the people will take action and force you to come down from your high pillar. You will be brought to balance and face judgement for everything you've done, Avatar Korra."<p>

In her dreams, these words repeated themselves over and over again, and she was sick of hearing the same thing for over a month now.

Korra knew it was telling the truth though. She always sought to thrive among everyone else and overcome every obstacle that life would throw at her, thinking it was her destiny. But now that balance was not far from being achieved, the mere thought of whatever would happen to the Avatar title frightened her.

If the world no longer needed the Avatar, then what was the point of all the training she's done until now. What was the point of recovering?

Her fists felt weak against the sandbag.

She managed to shake it out but that raw strength she once possessed was gone, incapable of sending it sky-high like before. Her bending was no better. It has been two years since she was poisoned with mercury, and only a few weeks since she managed to stand on her feet. Each step still hurt her, but she wanted to recover before her next fight.

What concerned her was the next: What was going to be her challenge this time? Was she going to be at the mercy of her enemy once again? For how long she had to keep doing this?; It's been a while already and she didn't have the answers to these questions. Tenzin was of no help at all when she asked this to him.

The only benefit this brought to the Avatar, was how relaxing her life has been as of late. Korra always had to worry about becoming the Avatar of her generation. Everyday since she was a child, she's been training nonstop to shape her technique until it was perfected. To this day, her quick learning remained, but most of that technique banished.

Even so, Korra was a powerful bender, just not fit for the Avatar according to her own criteria. The strength she possessed today was a shame, compared to what people have known her for. Also, because of the Red Lotus' inactivity around the world, people's concern about her safety quickly faded away and focused on what they could solve today instead. For example, the increasing criminal life around Republic City, or the reunification of the Earth Kingdom after Zaheer's attack.

The latter problem was greater only for a certain amount of time.

After things slowly calmed down, leaders showed up pretty much out of nowhere to begin a crusade that would unify the Kingdom and bring back its glory, with their own beliefs and rules of course. Having differences with one another was no surprise, but they could all agree on something: The time for royalty to rule over the Kingdom was now over. Reunification would only be possible after they've all agreed to become one, and that wasn't far from happening after almost a year of pretended bureaucracy.

Most of the people who disagreed with having a democracy were the royal families that escaped from the mob's rebellion, for now.

Her psychical training came to an her, and so did her thoughts when she settled the sandbag on fire for the fourth time in a row today.

Korra's bending was unstable at times, causing troubles now and then by abruptly sending a strong wind with the simplest movement. A nearby fire wildly expanding due to her anger or stress, the same happened with the water nearby. The most shocking and almost life-costing event so far was an earthquake below the Air Temple's island, causing half of the main tower to collapse, half month ago.

Everything she did had to be with delicacy. Constantly alert of the actions of oneself was nerve-wrecking for her.

One thing remained the same, being the Avatar was difficult without help.

Everyone around her, friends and family, were supportive. Tenzin did lash out on her after Korra almost obliterated the Air Temple, but with a psychically and mentally wounded teenager that has saved the world from its self-destruction for the last 10,000 years, it was hard to remain mad with.

Supportive, except when it came to continually torching her sandbag. She has learned how to fix it back after one time she made it explode from the inside out by bending the sand. Thankfully it was made of fire resistant material by now, so there wasn't much to be done to it by now.

Because every movement she did caused pain, she wasn't able to move far from the Temple without tiring herself out. Taking care of Naga or even riding her was not an option either.

Even when depressed over her present incapability, Korra couldn't remain in the island all the time. Now and then, Asami came by and take her away either for idle chatting or clothes shopping. Her way of transportation was more sophisticated than Korra's, having motorized boats to safely arrive to the City Docks.

When Asami arrived only a few minutes after Korra's little accident, it wasn't to take her away to the city just to make her feel better. Exactly three years back, Korra made her way to Republic city without the consent of her teachers, but anyway.

A party was arranged for tonight, and Korra's status as the Avatar would be relevant to the world one more time.

... Hurrah.


	2. Return and Consequence

The city changed over the years and so had its people. Reconstruction wasn't a cheap feat, considering the constant growth and movement of the spirit trees, pushing some people to the brink of hating the spirits like in the ancient times. However not everyone thought of them as something that shouldn't have happened.

Moving through the city was easier now with the occasional fly passing spirit that served as transport in return for food and good treatment from the citizens.

It would have been a quicker and more fun way to travel to the center of the city, but tonight was supposed to be special.

The day when the Avatar returned to its city reincarnated as Korra was this day. That simple fact drove the city's haters and supporters crazy. Those who were grateful and believed in her decisions waved at the satomobile that passed by as it headed to the Government's Palace. Those who thought wrong of her didn't even bother looking at her.

There wasn't any sympathy in the Avatar's eyes though. Korra had been staring at the outside world, desperate to find something to distract her mind, and not having to stand the sour mood that invaded the vehicle.

Despite insisting otherwise, she was forced to travel to the Palace alongside some of its bureaucrats that "represented" the people's ideals.

The City was divided by these factions, not to mention it was a more dangerous place to be at by nightfall. The immense trees and some of the oddest shaped spirits roaming around didn't help the already grim atmosphere.

She would have gone back to the temple if it weren't for Asami's pleading stare which Korra couldn't say no to. She owed her life to her by now.

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><p>Between this and that, Korra had arrived half-asleep after a debate between the deputies about who was the wealthiest of them and the most popular candidate to the next election.<p>

It was all bull—Right. She had to keep it together before she exploded again and make some cracked buildings the least of her problems.

Once the doors opened, what greeted her were the endless flashes coming from the press cameras that surrounded her and the vehicle. Such a sudden change of pace froze her on spot, and the feeling of pushing everyone away would have overwhelmed her if it weren't for Asami who quickly came to her rescue by taking her hand, guiding her not only out of the car but also through the red carpet carefully, never leaving her side in case she needed her helping hand.

Korra wasn't fond to the idea of being a weakling around the public, but rushing through the place would have been suspicious, not to mention hurtful to her body. Instead, she quickly focused on the red silk dress Asami wore that day; almost as red as the carpet they stood on. It was eye-catching to say the least, and her natural beauty only made it more delightful to the eye. And that smile of hers...

She envied her ability to put a smile whenever the public required it. Korra couldn't force a smile even with her friends.

She wasn't all that excited to ask this from her, but Asami discreetly begged for Korra to hurry up before they were swarmed with questions they couldn't avoid with a few words or a smile. Korra may not be as delicate or eye-catching and soft-looking as her, but she has always known when her friends needed her, and this was one of those occasions.

With a strong whistle that deafened those around her, including Asami, Naga showed up. Rushing from a hidden street towards the paparazzi people that froze right on place after seeing the size of the bear dog's body, and those massive, sharped teeth of hers.

Korra smiled at Asami devilishly before turning her head to the main door, now a lot more confident than she was a minute ago, and proving so by walking in a more calmed manner around the shocked people.

Asami was more than just dumbfounded. Korra was finally behaving like her old-self. Not that this wasn't going to be a scandal first thing in the morning. But it was clearly something that only the old Korra would do, and she was happy with just that.

The faces that first greeted them were unfamiliar and judgmental. Considering they just witnessed the Avatar's actions just now though, they were pretty quiet when they gossiped instead of making a huge fuss out of it. The duo didn't let this stop their momentum and pushed over the political and commercial people that tried to take over their attention, moving to the more familiar faces that were deeper in the Main Hall, near the main stairs.

"Korra! Asami!" Bolin hugged them quickly after spotting them, his face filled with an unending amount of happiness. It was so obvious.

"H-Hey, Bolin! You're acting like if you haven't seen us in a long time." replied Asami with happiness, mixed with confusion. One of the few times she wasn't good at understanding the expression of a person.

"I know right?! It's just that, I really thought you weren't coming to the party! But you did, and that means Korra is feeling better, right?!"

He was just like Naga to Korra, and without hesitating; she patted his head, making a mess of his elegant hair already. Good boy, she must have thought.

"I see that you're the Korra we all know." Said Asami, trying so hard not to laugh of his new look.

A tall, elegant and mature voiced guy interrupted Bolin before he could launch himself to claim his vengeance. Or at least, a manlier Mako than what he was a year ago.

"Mako, it's good to finally see you again."

Asami showed a soft blush as she greeted their old friend. Korra merely smiled, but it was more than what she's given them in the last couple of weeks.

His smile disappeared and instead showed a grimmer look, as if expecting to get yelled at any moment now, like a small kid. "I'm sorry for not keeping in touch with you guys. The crime doesn't give me a break and the Chief doesn't make it any easier."

He was a man from the outside, yet he remained to be the same Mako on the inside.

"Even Beifong is here?" Korra finally spoke, in surprise and quickly began looking around in search for the Chief. Hopefully, she was wearing a dress too.

"And it's not just her; most of the squad are here today, including some air-benders."

"Huh? You didn't tell me any of that!" she quickly snapped on Asami.

"I didn't? Sorry, I just..." she was caught off guard, and Asami took a small step back. It didn't take long before Korra realized what she was doing, and decided to take a deep breath and apologize.

"What's going on?" Korra directed her eyes to Bolin and Mako, who looked like they understood the situation better than them.

"It's best if I'm not the only one to tell you, Korra."

Bolin's face turned grim just like his brother's, not of unhappiness, but of taking the current situation seriously. They've both grown to become extraordinary men in so little time. Bolin didn't know much of the situation, but was aware there was a time when fooling around wasn't the wisest thing to do.

"Chief Beifong!" Mako on the other hand, had become quite disciplined and was a remarkable asset to the police department. He would be second-in-command if it weren't for another person who escalated the ranks in a quicker pace than he did.

"From the look on your faces, I say Mako already told you we have surveillance all over the place."

Unfortunately for Korra's amusement, Lin Beifong was in her usual clothing. And that means the dark police uniform, with hands always close to her wire spools. These kinds of parties not only were the perfect place for an ambush, but its own visitors could become the problem when they desired to.

"Well, of course we would be a little freaked out about it. Just why is there so many people looking at us like we're supper? Talking about supper, where's all the food..." Bolin got way off topic and off character very quickly, searching the main table like a detective looking for its culprit.

"I'm sorry for being the one spoiling your party, but we received word that you would be under attack today." Plain, simple, and very head-wrecking. That's the Beifong family for you.

"What? Why didn't you tell me any of this before?!" Korra snapped. Again. It was stronger than before and the tingling of her feet confirmed it. She was already shaking the ground around her if only slightly. And again, she had to calm down.

"That's because I asked Tenzin to keep it quiet, there are eyes and ears everywhere and we don't know where the enemy is."

"Just..." Korra's stress was growing by the minute, not knowing if either run away or fight on. Her whole happiness was crumbling down. "Tell me why I'm being targeted."

"Korra... We believe the Equalists have returned." Tenzin entered their circle and tried to be as straightforward as he could. He didn't want the Avatar to destroy the building, so he remained close to her, hoping his presence could lessen the weight she was carrying on her shoulders.

"Amon?!"

"But that's not possible; nobody would follow him after his bending was discovered." Asami replied with arms crossed, thinking the situation over while holding her chin.

He sighed and shook his head in denial. "We thought about that as well. But we think it's someone of his inner circle who's taken charge of the organization. His lieutenant, for example."

"Why would they try and do something to Korra after all this time? It's not like if Korra is any threat to..." Bolin opened his mouth without thought, and only Mako was there to close it just in time.

Bolin took a few moments to gulp down the food and think about what he was about to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way."

"It's alright. I know I'm not all that well just yet." He was right. Her strength was beyond from what she had before, not to mention her earth-bending was threatening to collapse the whole palace if the stress took over her senses.

"Moving on, we can't say for sure who's commanding the New Equalists now. For all we know, the Red Lotus could be behind everything." Beifong tried to cut off the awkwardness that was building up on the atmosphere, not wanting to waste her time any further.

"That makes a lot more sense! Because if I were a villain, which I'm not by the way, I would do my evil plans in the name of another Organization that isn't my own! Wait. Do I belong to an evil Organization?" Bolin frowned, looking at everyone else with suspicion. Foolishly trying to help Beifong on this.

"Yeah, you're right. However, you wouldn't be much of a villain even if you joined the Equalists." Mako didn't realize of his brother's good intentions. He thought it was his little brother merely playing jokes for fun like usual.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

Everyone of the circle laughed and surprisingly, Lin did too. Her mood had been changing over the last couple of months, maybe because her work has been less than before, giving her more time to rest and enjoy her life as a near-of-retirement woman.

"I know this is all too sudden for you but I want to assign you a bodyguard, at least for tonight. I understand you don't like people following your every step but we don't want to take any chances this time."

Korra lifted her shoulders as if not caring. She was probably going to receive two gorillas like in the novels she sometimes read while she was stuck on the wheelchair. "Well I can't say no to a little backup in the way I am now. Who is it?"

Beifong stepped out of the side and did some space. "Meet Commissioner Kuvira. I'm sure you met her back in Zaofu."

From the crowd, a remarkably young and strong woman walked with extreme discipline towards the circle, although this was what she called her casual walking. It was intimidating with the black armor she wore, similar to Beifong's but without the gold trim, looking powerful nonetheless.

"Avatar Korra, I see you're doing better."

She was amazed, but not only by the overwhelming similarity she and Beifong both possessed; Korra was standing right in front of the woman that had saved her father's life back in their battle against the Red Lotus.

"Kuvira? What are you doing here?! I don't mean it the wrong way... It's good to see you!"

"Kuvira convinced my sister to transfer her to the city and join the police force. Suyin didn't like the idea of her best officer leaving her place, but Kuvira has proven her worth and stepped up in the ranks in an outstanding time. At first, I was planning to leave Mako as your bodyguard, but with the recent threats I want my best detective out in the field. We need to find out who's behind these threats as soon as possible."

"I know you and I met in the wrong circumstances, but I wish that doesn't overcome between us, Avatar Korra. I'll do my best to keep you safe."

"Uh... Of course. But please, leave the formalities aside, you saved my father and you have my thanks for that. Besides, being the Avatar doesn't put me above you or I wouldn't have had a hard time with Chief Beifong when I first arrived."

In full honesty, Kuvira was expecting a more childish and stuck-up behavior coming from a powerful being. However, today she was proven wrong and smiled at the Avatar, and to the rest of the group. Perhaps Korra wasn't such an arrogant Avatar as rumors had claimed.

"With Kuvira around I'm sure you'll be safe for tonight, I've worked with her before and she… well, reminds me of you." Mako spoke highly of her and respected her instead of being jealous of her, for she was the one that had taken the rank as second-in-command and not him.

Then again, she was a much more experienced policewoman than he.

"Thank you Mako. So what do we do now? Do we continue like if nothing of this ever happened?" Korra's mood was back before she knew it. These quick temper changes would be her doom one day though.

"It's for the best this way. But keep your eyes open for anything out of place." A wealthy citizen of the city came in search of the Chief and with only with a whisper, she swiftly left their circle. "Excuse me."

"Wow... Even when everyone in here could be a suspect, she keeps her cool with that cold glare of hers." Bolin said as he kept devouring a massive dish full of food from all the surrounding tables, the people around them weren't glaring the Avatar anymore, but the gluttony of her friend.

"You better be careful, she might be hearing you." said Korra, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Being the Chief means everyone is looking up to you, Bolin. It's the same when you're the president of a big company." added Asami with her usual grin.

She knew what it was like to have people looking up on you. Asami was on a similar position when she was employed to oversee the re-construction of the roads around the City, especially from the center, where the spirits and vines were mostly gathered for an unknown reason.

"Oh, right! How is that going by the way?" the track of time was quickly lost to Korra as remained quiet throughout the rest of their conversation.

Talking about big companies and about the different powers within the government was the topic she was forced to hear back in the car, but this was different. These were her friends and so long as they were there, chatting over anything that popped in their heads, nothing bad should happen.

"Hey guys, I'm going to go and…" Korra was about to go and talk with some of the more calmed press people around the Hall, when a loud noise triggered in her head.

Her earth-bending was spontaneously getting out of control, but not in the wrong way. Her vision had somehow improved and suddenly she was able to see the whole place's structure and the noises around it.

It was a painful head-ache, one that distracted her from the information she could have gathered seconds before it was too late.

Then, before she could react, a massive explosion collapsed the roof and would have buried the political, the wealthy, and the uninvited crowd if it weren't for the intervention of Bolin and Kuvira. Korra was terrified because of her new senses, and even more now, of how well that explosion reminded her of several attempts on her life throughout the years.

She was deafened because of the explosion, and her eyes closed automatically, fearing in any moment now, one of her old enemies would show up and end with her life.

Instead, it was Kuvira who found her between all the dust and smoke that now covered the main hall. "Korra, we need to get you out of here!"

"Do as she says Korra, we'll take care of things!" Mako didn't wait for her reply and quickly disappeared in the cloud of dust. Bolin and Kuvira had stopped most of the rubble, but not all of it.

"I'll evacuate the citizens!" Asami took off as quickly as she could with her high heels and gathered the people that were safe or merely injured and directed them through the safest path, trying not to get in the way of the unfolding battle between Mako's squad and their masked opponents.

"Korra, we have to leave now!"

Korra witnessed how in one moment, that once vivid party was now all but rubble. Politicians and merchants, paparazzi and radio transmitters were escaping from the scene with the help of Asami, or injured, and waiting for help to come from Bolin and a rescue squad, sent to help by Beifong, before the worst happened to them.

"Damn it!" she wanted to scream and find the ones that did this to those that are innocent. She was well, and that's what annoyed her the most. She wasn't injured in this attempt, but she didn't have the strength to go in search for them either.

For now, the Avatar would escape, for the first and hopefully the last time since her return.


End file.
